UIW Travels to Tokyo, Japan to Attend the 2024 IAHPEDS World Congress

This month, UIW faculty and students from the Ila Faye Miller School of Nursing and Health Professions (SNHP) and the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (CHASS) attended the International Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Dance and Sport (IAHPEDS) World Congress in Tokyo, Japan. This year marks UIW’s first ever participation in the IAHPEDS World Congress, held July 5 - 8.

The IAHPEDS is a non-profit charitable and educational organization governed by professionals from around the world in the fields of health, physical education, dance and sport. Its website states that it “seeks collaborative partnerships with other international and national professional organizations to expand the reach of health, physical education, dance and sport research and programming.”

This year’s 2024 Congress was themed, “Fostering Well-Being through Innovative Approaches.” The Congress welcomed a variety of educators and researchers to share their knowledge, meet and learn from other attendees and explore how to promote well-being in and through their respective fields.

A number of UIW faculty and students had the opportunity to present at the Congress, including Dr. Greg Soukup, SNHP professor of Kinesiology and president of the IAHPEDS executive committee. Soukop encouraged UIW to participate in this year’s Congress, where he himself delivered a presentation called, “Impact of Corrective Exercise Intervention on Movement Patterns of College Softball Hitters.”

CHASS faculty members who presented included Dr. Lopita Nath, chair and professor of History, and Dr. Kevin Salfen, associate dean and professor of Music.

Salfen performed his intercultural opera titled Phoenix Fire. “Phoenix Fire is about the failed 1940 Tokyo Olympics and the successful 1964 Tokyo Olympics, and I had planned it to be a sort of homage to the 2020 Games,” said Salfen of his original plan to perform the work abroad in 2020. “COVID forced the cancellation of the performances and of our study-abroad program, but Dr. Nath and I never gave up, and at last we were able to bring a student group to Japan.”

Nath presented, “Kathak: Expressive Storytelling, Rhythmic Dancing, and Mindfulness,” in which she discussed her research on South Asian and Indian history and dance and the global impact it has. Kathak is one of the eight classical dance forms originating in northern India. It is defined by the art of expressive storytelling through dance, emphasized by ankle bells, fast spins and intricate hand movement, under the guidance of gurus.

“This presentation was a very good fit for the IAHPEDS Congress as it brought together the impact of dance on health and mindfulness and how that could be an effective way for people to address many health issues,” explained Nath. “The presentation included three dance performance pieces, which demonstrated the different aspects of Kathak, from the foot work to the hand movements and how that could help in addressing health concerns.”

Additionally, Dr. Nath moderated a panel discussion called, “Refugees and Migrants: Empowerment through Dancing and Sports,” which included presentations from CHASS student presenters Lia Butanda and Beni Resendiz. Butanda presented on “Empowerment of Afghan Refugee Girls Through Dance” and Resendiz presented on “Migrants and Sports: Communication is the Gameplan.” Their panel collectively addressed the issues experienced by refugees and immigrants in the United States and how different health-related activities can help to alleviate stress and promote personal and community growth.

“For several years now, I have been able to organize panels and take students, not only from the History department, but other majors as well, to present their research at conferences,” shared Nath. “Participating in the IAHPEDS was another opportunity to take my research to a different platform and reach a different audience. It was also very important for the students to engage with an international audience and learn from them. The students made us proud with the depth of their research and flawless presentation.”

Nath added that participating in this conference also helps students to gain a global perspective and contributes to UIW’s Mission to provide a global education that develops enlightened citizens.

“Although only a portion of the students from our study-abroad program participated in the IAHPEDS event, those who did had an experience of what an international academic event can be like, with scholars from around the world convening to exchange ideas,” shared Salfen. “Several students who attended but didn’t present mentioned that they heard presentations connected to their own academic pursuits.”

The Ila Faye Miller School of Nursing and Health Professions was also well represented at the Congress. Community Health Education students Julia Tyler, Alishia Cuellar, Genina Villarreal and Madalynn Mendoza delivered two presentations called, “Factors That May Contribute to Higher Rates of Hypertension Diagnosis among African Americans in Comparison to Other Racial/Ethnic Populations,” and “Influences Affecting Undergraduate Hispanic College Students’ Sleep Duration and the Associated Implications: A Systematic Review.”

In addition to student presentations, faculty members Dr. Heather Barton-Weston, assistant professor in Community Health Education, and Dr. Brittanie Lockard, SNHP program director and associate professor of Kinesiology, offered their expertise in discussions about the health and service of college students.

The full list of presentations by UIW faculty and students is as follows:

• “Kathak: Rhythmic Dancing, Expressive Story Telling and Mindfullness” – presented by Dr. Lopita Nath, CHASS chair and professor of History
• “Phoenix Fire” – presented by Dr. Kevin Salfen, CHASS associate dean and professor of Music
• “Refugees and Migrants: Empowerment through Dancing and Sports” – moderated by Dr. Lopita Nath, CHASS chair and professor of History
  • “Empowerment of Afghan Refugee Girls Through Dance” – presented by CHASS student Lia Butanda
  • “Migrants and Sports: Communication is the Gameplan” – presented by CHASS student Beni Resendiz
• “Challenges and Best Practice Methods for Developing an Undergraduate Student Classroom-Based Research Program at a Hispanic Serving Institution” – presented by Dr. Heather Barton-Weston, SNHP assistant professor in Community Health Education
• “Factors That May Contribute to Higher Rates of Hypertension Diagnosis among African Americans in Comparison to Other Racial /Ethnic Population” – presented by Community Health Education (CHED) students Julia Tyler, Alishia Cuellar, Genina Villarreal and Madalynn Mendoza
• “Influences Affecting Undergraduate Hispanic College Students’ Sleep Duration and the Associated Implications: A Systematic Review” – presented by Community Health Education (CHED) students Julia Tyler, Alishia Cuellar, Genina Villarreal and Madalynn Mendoza
• “Knowledge, Implementation, and Individualization of Collegiate Athlete Sport Nutrition” – Dr. Brittanie Lockard, SNHP program director and associate professor in Kinesiology
• “Impact of Corrective Exercise Intervention on Movement Patterns of College Softball Hitters” – Dr. Greg Soukup, SNHP professor of Kinesiology and president of the IAHPEDS organization